Asus Zenbook review: First Look

The MacBook Air is our favourite ultraportable laptop thanks to its excellent battery life, low weight and incredibly slender yet sturdy design. Until now there's been little to match it if you're determined to stick with Windows - a situation Intel hopes its ultrabook initiative will fix.

Asus has just announced the Zenbook, one of the first ultraportables designed under Intel's Ultrabook brand, and we got the chance to try one out at Asus' London press conference.

There is no question the ASUS Zenbook has been inspired by the good work of the late Steve Jobs. The 11in version is incredibly lightweight – weighing in at a mere 1.1kg – so it won't strain the shoulders of the mobile worker on the move, whilst the attractive aluminium casing will never leave you with that horrid feeling of inadequacy when sat in a room full of Macs.

The 11in UX21 sitting on top of the larger 13in UX31.

It is pretty, no question, although you will have to make sure your fingertips are clean for all the marks they will make on the smooth-to-touch brushed metal casing.

Even the lid of the Zenbook likes nice.

The specifications, regardless of whether you opt for the 11in UX21 or the 13in UX31, are almost identical. Both have 4GB of RAM and 128GB SATA3 SSDs.

The Zenbook is very thin.

The difference comes in the processor, either an Intel Sandy Bridge Core i5 for the smaller version and a faster i7 for the larger 13in model. However, for those of you waiting for Windows 8 and Intel’s upcoming Ivy Bridge chips, the head honchos at the Zenbook launch promised there will eventually be touch-capable models.